1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to manufacturing and, in particular, to manufacturing composite structures. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for joining parts to form a composite structure.
2. Background
Aircraft are being designed and manufactured with greater and greater percentages of composite materials. Composite materials are used in aircraft to decrease the weight of the aircraft. This decreased weight improves performance features such as payload capacity and fuel efficiency. Further, composite materials provide longer service life for various components in an aircraft.
Composite materials are tough, light-weight materials created by combining two or more functional components. For example, a composite material may include reinforcing fibers bound in a polymer resin matrix. Resins used in composite materials may include thermoplastic or thermoset resins. A thermoplastic material may become soft upon heating and may harden upon cooling. A thermoplastic material may be able to be repeatedly heated and cooled. A thermoset material may become hard when heated. The fibers may be unidirectional or may take the form of a woven cloth or fabric.
In manufacturing a composite structure, different parts are connected to each other to form the composite structure. For example, composite materials may be laid up in the shape of a composite part. This composite part may then be joined with other composite parts to form a composite structure. The current methods of joining composite parts may use an undesirable amount of time, energy, money, or resources. Further, the current methods of joining composite parts may result in a composite structure with an undesirable characteristic, such as an undesirable weight. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that take into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues.